Kleypas Lisa Vallerand 2 Only With Your Love

Archiwum

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what s the difference between us? The scarlet fog cleared away. He remembered Celia telling him she
believed in him, clasping him in her arms and making him believe in the part of himself he thought had
been lost long ago. It was because of her that he was not like Legare, and never could be. The thought of
her steadied him.
As the torrent of desperate energy began to fade, he became aware of all the things he d temporarily
forgotten his aching leg, the stabbing pain of his rib, and all the battered places on his body. It was
good to remember. He had to fight within his limits instead of trying to push. His usual extension would be
curtailed and he wouldn t gamble on having much endurance left.
Aug, he said, gesturing to the pair behind Legare. Keep those two outside. No one is to interfere. If
they try anything
Aye.
Legare nodded to the two pirates, who moved aside. Justin guessed that they would try to rush Aug as
soon as they had the chance. He didn t think Aug would have trouble dealing with them.
Stepping into the main chamber of the fortification, Legare waited for Justin to follow. The space was
small and enclosed, lit by torches and the weak sunlight that wavered through the doorway. From outside
there came sudden battle cries and the clanging of swords. Legare kept his eyes on Justin. It seems my
men have decided to test Aug s fighting skill, he said.
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Justin shrugged casually. They ll keep him entertained for a while. Before he finished the sentence, he
lunged at Legare without warning. Legare parried easily and returned with a swift counterattack. Justin
fought with grim concentration, finding that he could only accomplish his usually smooth riposte with an
awkward hop on his bad leg. His rhythm was off.
Legare laughed contemptuously. You pathetic fool. You ve lost whatever ability you once had. He
disengaged with a sneer, as if the fight was not worth his effort.
Justin followed readily, attacking and then redoubling, putting Legare on the defensive. He made a feint
and then sank the tip of the rapier into Legare s shoulder. Legare leaped back, but there was a smear of
blood on his shirt. Enraged, Legare pressed forward with forceful strokes. Justin held his ground,
knowing his leg was not strong enough to support him under a long drive backward.
The blades crashed and slid together until the hilts nearly met. The men gritted their teeth and pushed in a
pure test of strength. Justin threw Legare back with a mighty shove. Legare returned quickly. Suddenly
they were in the midst of a long, unendurable exchange, parrying and lunging, each seeking to gain an
advantage. It was too rapid for either of them to think; instinct alone guided the flashing swords.
Somehow Justin broke through Legare s guard. This time the wound he inflicted was a shallow jab in the
side.
The expression on Legare s face became demonic. He advanced with purposeful lunges, forcing Justin
to hop back. Justin s breath hissed through his teeth as he defended himself against the attack, and then
he saw with a tingling shock that Legare s face registered victory. At the same time he felt empty space
underneath his heels. He was poised on the edge of a stairwell. Striving for balance, Justin slid down the
first two or three steps and raised his sword just in time to parry a thrust.
They were startled by a deafening explosion as a shell hit the parapet and shook the entire structure.
Thrown off balance, Justin tumbled backward down the stairs, rolling over and over until he hit bottom.
The rapier clattered down a few steps and came to rest halfway down the stairwell, hopelessly out of his
reach. Justin lay in the semi-darkness for a few seconds, looking dizzily up at the place he had fallen
from. His mind registered the shape of Legare walking down the steps, closing the distance between
them.
Justin forced himself to move, dragging himself up, crawling and stumbling into a shadowy passageway.
He fell again. A mere two inches from his nose he saw a wire wrapped around a peg. He blinked and
stared at the object. Panting, spitting the copper taste of blood from his mouth, he raised himself up and
carefully avoided the wire, staggering deeper into the passage. He slid to the floor and leaned his back
against the wall, waiting, gulping for breath, and cradling his arm against the knifelike pain in his side.
Legare paused in the entrance, staring into the concealing depths of the passage. There was no sound
except for Justin s broken gasps. Captain Griffin, Legare said scornfully. What a fraud. To think I
once considered you a threat. Killing you will be cheap sport indeed.
Legare lifted his sword and walked into the passage. His boot struck the wire, and the spring gun
swiveled.
A shot cracked in the narrow hall, making Justin s ears ring.
Legare hesitated and then continued to move. The sickening thought that he hadn t been hit raced across
Justin s brain. Then Legare began to fall forward, clumsily aiming the point of his sword. Justin jerked to
the side, the rapier slicing through the air and narrowly missing him.
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Legare let out a howl of fury that congealed his blood. Damn you, Griffin!
Then all was quiet. As Justin s eyes adapted to the darkness and daylight crept timidly into the shattered
parapet, he saw Legare s face frozen in a death mask, eyes staring blankly and lips curled back in a
grimace. He had been fatally wounded in the stomach. The spring gun had done its work.
Justin stood up and braced himself against the wall, looking down at the twisted form. Dazedly he
wondered why everything was so quiet and still, why the noise and explosions had stopped. The naval
siege had ended. Soon military officers would be swarming over the island.
Griffin, he heard Aug s voice from above.
Laboriously Justin left the passage and mounted the steps. He picked up his rapier as he ascended. Aug [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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